System and method for enabling offline use of email through a browser interface
First Claim
1. A method for providing online and offline email services to a user, the method comprising:
- running a client email application in a browser on a user'"'"'s computer;
using a local web server application running on the user'"'"'s computer to store user mailbox information on the user'"'"'s computer, to respond to requests from the client email application for user mailbox information, and to receive changes to user mailbox information made by the user via the client email application;
wherein the local web server application is able to respond to the client email application regardless of whether the user'"'"'s computer is online or offline; and
using a remote web server to remotely store user mailbox information, to receive incoming email messages for the user and to send outbound email messages that are composed by the user and sent to the remote web server by the local web server application, wherein the local web server application and remote web server synchronize user mailbox information periodically when the user'"'"'s computer is online and wherein the local web server application stores, searches, and indexes user mailbox information in the same manner as the remote web server.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method provide online and offline collaboration suite functionality. A local web server application running on the user'"'"'s computer serves an email client on the user'"'"'s computer, where the email client executes within a browser. Because the local web server application executes on the user'"'"'s computer, it is able to serve the email client regardless of whether the user'"'"'s computer is online or offline. The local web server application also communicates with a remote web server, where the remote web server has the capability to receive incoming messages from, and send outbound messages to, a Mail Transfer Agent. When the user'"'"'s computer is online, the remote web server and local web server application periodically (although not necessarily at regular intervals) synchronize their user mailbox information. The local web server application and remote web server application store, search, and index user mailbox information in the same manner.
47 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for providing online and offline email services to a user, the method comprising:
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running a client email application in a browser on a user'"'"'s computer; using a local web server application running on the user'"'"'s computer to store user mailbox information on the user'"'"'s computer, to respond to requests from the client email application for user mailbox information, and to receive changes to user mailbox information made by the user via the client email application;
wherein the local web server application is able to respond to the client email application regardless of whether the user'"'"'s computer is online or offline; andusing a remote web server to remotely store user mailbox information, to receive incoming email messages for the user and to send outbound email messages that are composed by the user and sent to the remote web server by the local web server application, wherein the local web server application and remote web server synchronize user mailbox information periodically when the user'"'"'s computer is online and wherein the local web server application stores, searches, and indexes user mailbox information in the same manner as the remote web server. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer-implemented system for providing offline and online email functionality to a user, the system comprising:
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a client application that executes within a browser on a user'"'"'s computer; a local web server application that communicates with the client application via the browser and that stores user mailbox information on the user'"'"'s computer, responds to requests from the client application for user mailbox information, and receives changes to user mailbox information made by the user via the client application;
wherein the local web server application is able to respond to the client application regardless of whether the user'"'"'s computer is online or offline;a remote web server that remotely stores user mail box information, receives incoming email messages for the user and sends outbound email messages from the user, wherein such outbound email messages are sent to the remote web server by the local web server application and wherein the local web server application and remote web server synchronize user mailbox information periodically when the user'"'"'s computer is online.
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9. A computer-implemented collaboration system for providing online and offline collaboration functionality comprising:
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a client collaboration application that executes within a browser on a user'"'"'s computer; a local web server application that executes on the user'"'"'s computer, that is capable of communicating with the client collaboration application via the browser, and that provides collaboration functionality to the user by storing, retrieving, and processing user mailbox information on the user'"'"'s computer; a remote web server that also stores, retrieves and processes the user'"'"'s mailbox information; wherein; the remote web server and the local web server application communicate via a network and, when the user'"'"'s computer is on the network, the local web server application and the remote web server periodically synchronize the user mailbox information; and the local web server application can communicate with the client collaboration application regardless of whether the user'"'"'s computer is on the network or off the network, enabling the user to have collaboration functionality offline. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A computer-implemented collaboration system comprising:
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a client collaboration application that executes within a browser on a user'"'"'s computer; a local web server application that executes on the user'"'"'s computer and that communicates with the client collaboration application to provide collaboration application functionality to the user by storing and processing user mailbox information on the user'"'"'s computer; and a remote web server that also stores and processes the user mailbox information, where the remote web server communicates with the local web server application via a network and, when the user'"'"'s computer is on the network, the local web server application and remote web server synchronize the user mailbox information; wherein the local web server application processes the user mailbox information in the same way as the remote web server and wherein the local web server application communicates with the browser regardless of whether or not the user'"'"'s computer is on the network.
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12. (canceled)
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13. (canceled)
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14. A method for providing online and offline collaboration suite services to a user, the method comprising:
running a client collaboration suite application in a browser on a user'"'"'s computer; and
using a local web server application running on the user'"'"'s computer to store user mailbox information on the user'"'"'s computer, to respond to requests from the client collaboration suite application for user mailbox information, and to receive changes to user mailbox information made by the user via the client collaboration suite application;
wherein the local web server application is able to respond to the client collaboration suite application regardless of whether the user'"'"'s computer is online or offline, and wherein the local web server synchronizes user mailbox data with a remote server when the user'"'"'s computer is online, and upon the occurrence of a pre-specified event.- View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
Specification